


"Established Long-Term Personal Friend" is what they'd called it

by nolanpatty



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: 2020 NHL Playoffs Bubble, Fluff, M/M, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:08:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26053972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nolanpatty/pseuds/nolanpatty
Summary: TK brings Patty into the bubble.
Relationships: Travis Konecny/Nolan Patrick
Comments: 18
Kudos: 202
Collections: NHL Hotel Hoedown 2020





	"Established Long-Term Personal Friend" is what they'd called it

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [puckingtrash (imafriendlydalek)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/imafriendlydalek/pseuds/puckingtrash) in the [HotelHoedown](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/HotelHoedown) collection. 



> Hi, hello, if you like this, check out my other works because I just posted a 10k version following a very similar concept of someone bring Nolan into the bubble for the Lond-Standing Establish Friendship thing :)

Making it past round one of the playoffs was probably the most exciting thing to happen in Travis’ life up to this point, even if he hadn’t been playing as well as he’d like to be. His points were pretty low for how many games he’d played, but he’d take the win any way he could get it. The bubble felt like it was rapidly growing emptier as teams packed their bags to leave each day. Even with practice and games, life felt like it was moving a bit in slow motion in the bubble. Any time not spent on the ice always left the guys feeling a bit restless. Video games sufficed for a time, and then they’d been offered an afternoon out of the bubble at one of the outdoor stadiums. They’d set up a football game, and done a spike ball tourney, just like most of the other teams had, but being stuck in the bubble was starting to eat away a bit at Travis’ sanity, especially while he was struggling to find his rhythm in the game. 

The league hadn’t had any positive cases since getting to the bubble, which was great, the league was easily the sport that was doing this pandemic sports thing the best. Keeping everyone healthy and safe, while making the best of it and giving the fans and their athletes the best experience they could. But there was just no denying that after a month and a half away from friends and family, the guys on all the teams were starting to go a bit crazy. Issues were popping up more and more on the ice, as guys lost their tempers within minutes of a game starting. Team huddles became a bit more agitated, TK noticed even he was talking less to try and keep the guys from being pissed at his normal level of energy. 

It was around the time of the second round starting, that the league started taking notice of these changes in the guys. They’d determined that it seemed in the players best interest to expand the bubble a bit. 

Established long-standing personal friend, is what they’d called it. It served better than using the term WAGS, Travis supposed. But basically this, every player left in the bubble was allotted one person or family unit to stay with them in their own hotel room. Not required, obviously, but every guy was offered the option. 

And Travis, well Travis wasn’t one to deny himself of his happiness, so of course...he’d called Nolan the first chance he got. He’d been bitching about not being in the bubble to begin with, which TK hated just as much as Patty did. Now he could at least sit in the players box and watch playoff hockey life. Who knows, maybe he’d even get one of the atrocious team issued polos they’d been giving them for each game. 

So they get Nolan on the first plane out, and he arrives on the guys off day before round two starts for them. And really, listen, TK isn’t one for big productions or dramatic reveals, but Patty is not just like the literal love of Travis’ life, but he’s also a teammate. He knows the guys miss Patty as much as Patty misses him, so he _maybe_ sets up a ping pong tournament in their team lounge around the same time that Patty’s scheduled to arrive. He tells the guys Kevin will fine anyone who doesn’t show up, except Kevin because Kevin’s not actually going to fine anyone. Travis and Nolan had talked about it all beforehand, and Nolan knew exactly where to go once he was cleared to enter the bubble. 

They were about three games into the tournament, and Travis had already lost (but obviously on purpose, he’s a fucking pro at ping pong, thank you) so when he’s the first one to see Nolan come into the lounge, he makes a huge show up standing up from his chair. 

“Patso!” He shouts about as loudly as he can muster, to be heard over all the chirping. 

There’s this eerie hush that falls over the room as Travis can see each set of eyes slowly finding Nolan at the door. There’s murmurs and sounds of confusion. He hears Beezer asking Laughts what’s going on. Travis doesn’t care, he ignores all of it, in favor of seeking out Nolan for the first time in almost two months.

He gets right up into Nolan’s space. Nolan lets this tight lipped, small smile spread across his face, slow as fucking molassas. 

“Hey,” he mumbles.

“Hi,” Trav says as he leans forward to press his lips against Nolan’s.

The guys are unsurprisingly not quiet after this turn of events. There’s shouting and hollering and even a few gasps. 

Nolan drops his bag to the floor in favor of wrapping his arms around Travis’ waist. “Missed you,” he mumbles against Teeks’ lips. 

Teeks fucking beams. “Missed you too.” 

“Uhhh,” Travis hears G say from somewhere behind them, “Not to intrude on whatever the fuck this is, but I think I speak for everyone when I say, what the fuck?”

Travis turns around in Nolan’s arms and shrugs, easy as ever, “Established Long-Standing Personal Friend.” Nolan huffs out a laugh against Travis’ neck.

And then it’s out there. 

Everyone knows about him and Nolan, and it feels fucking great.

“What the fuck, Teeks!” Carter shouts coming up to them “How long?”

Nolan shrugs, “Basically since they put me on IR, I guess.”

“Fuck,” Haysie says, “Like, shit we all knew y’all were an old married couple, but now you’re really an old married couple.” He fist bumps Travis and Nolan as he comes up to them, and then turns to G, “G, man, I think you and Ryanne gotta step up your married game if you wanna compete with these two.”

G rolls his eyes, “I have a fucking child.”

“Oh!” Travis hops up and down like a literal kid, “So do we!”

“No you don’t.” G says, not even giving Travis a chance to explain.

Nolan shrugs, “Kinda do man.” 

“The fuck?” Carter says.

“We got a dog!” Trav says excitedly. “Like right before Covid hit. Cute as fuck.”

“Well where the dog now?” Carter asks.

“With my mom,” Nolan answers. 

Coots coughs somewhere over by a ping pong table, all dramatic to gather attention, “This is like cool or whatever,” he gestures at TK and Patty, “but like, can we play ping pong now? I was crushing Haysie’s ass over here.”

Kevin scoffs, “Take it back.”

And just like that the guys are bickering and chirping again like the messed up, family of misfits that they are. It feels great. It feels _right_ finally with their whole team there. Oskar and now Patty. The bubble was like, complete, or whatever. Travis was ready to fucking play some hockey, but first he was going to kick Nolan’s ass at ping pong. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, hello, if you like this, check out my other works because I just posted a 10k version following a very similar concept of someone bring Nolan into the bubble for the Lond-Standing Establish Friendship thing :) 
> 
> Also find me on tumblr @farfrombucky


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